Puma has agreed to a partnership with the Orange Africa Cup of Nations, South Africa 2013 to become the official fan supplier. The partnership will see the first merchandise developed and distributed before the first fixture between South Africa and Cape Verde on Jan. 19 and will continue throughout the tournament. As the official fan supplier, Puma has the exclusive worldwide rights to develop and distribute sport and sport-lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories carrying the logos of the tournament. In addition, the deal with Confederation of African Football also includes exclusive rights for Puma to operate retail stores, vending stands and kiosks including those in the stadium, for the sale of Puma’s Africa Cup of Nations official fan merchandise. Puma has partnered with Totalsports to execute the retail side of the operation in South Africa during the tournament. Totalsports will operate and manage the official fanshops during the tournament and will also be the exclusive distributor of Puma’s official fan merchandise (AFCON 2013). Samsung, an official sponsor, has launched its ''Samsung Fan Zone'' in seven African countries under the theme, ''Our Passion Powers Africa.'' Samsung Fan Zones are at the core of the company’s fan engagement program this year. In addition to South Africa, there will be fan zones in Angola, Ivory Coast, DRC, Ghana, Nigeria and Zambia. Samsung will leverage its 20 brand stores and eight shopping malls for more fans to experience interactive activities (Samsung).
